New e-brochure

Just updated my e-brochure. It contains examples of my course photography, editorial and commercial shoots. All together, a rip-roaring read! Let me know what you think.

http://issuu.com/markphotography/docs/mapbrochure_pub_3

New pics of Ridgewood Lakes

New pics of Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club now available (see link below). In the meantime, here's an excerpt from my Golf World article on Undiscovered Florida. Enjoy.

New greens please
Although the course is at the heart of a gated community, the houses are kept a respectful distance from the course, meaning you don’t have to interrupt someone’s barbeque to retrieve your ball should you hit a flyer. Best of all, it’s a genuinely good layout.

“It is more of a precision golf course – very target-orientated, but fair,” says McLoone. “There is a lot of room off the tee; you just need to know where to hit it.” And what distance to hit it - 14 holes have water and many have fairways with unseen inlets that demand accuracy rather than length. The result is a course that requires consideration off the tee and deftness around the greens – not what you would expect from a lakeland course in Florida.

Check out the full article at http://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/Golf/Magazines/Magazines/Golf-World/

Here's a link to the pics: http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/RidgewoodLakes/

The Eagle Has Landed

For your viewing pleasure; some more photos from my trip to Florida in January (see link below).

This time it’s the challenge of The Club at Eaglebrooke!

To give a bit of an insight, here is an excerpt from the accompanying article I wrote for Golf World. You check out the magazine at http://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/Golf/Golf-World

Where eagles dare
The Club at Eaglebrooke picks up where Southern Dunes leaves off with a series of visually dramatic holes incorporating not only impressive bunkering but also several lakes which add tough approach shots and an island fairway to the fray. Opened for play in 1996, local golf course architect Ron Garl certainly had a sense of mischief when he laid out this design.

After hosting LPGA Futures Tour events and Champions Tour qualifying, John Greiner, head golf professional at Eaglebrooke, says the layout is tough enough to challenge any player. “For a Florida course, it has some elevation to it,” he says coolly. “It has some rolling hills and undulating greens and it has its share of water and bunkers.”

http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/Eaglebrooke/

Let me know what you think.

New images posted

In January, I was lucky enough to go the PGA Show in Florida. During my visit I shot a number of courses and thought you might like to see the results. The first link is posted below (the photographs are best viewed by clicking on the full-screen icon on the far right).

Let me know what you think.

www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/SouthernDunes

Party on!

Here is an excerpt from a Golf Management Europe article I wrote about making the most of a celebration. Enjoy.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

Special anniversaries offer golf clubs a chance to let their hair down. Mark Alexander finds out how to celebrate in style

Every so often there comes a time when you just have to party. At golf clubs, these special occasions suspend normality and generate fervoured activity driven by specially formed committees. Anniversaries or special centenary dates need to be marked accordingly, and these committees are the ones to make it happen.

The team at Montrose Golf Links certainly did that last year when they invited just about everybody to the east coast of Scotland to celebrate 450 years of golf at the historic Montrose Medal Golf Course. “There simply wasn’t a downside,” says Alan Crow, chairman of Montrose Golf Links Limited. “A lot of people went away with smiles on their faces.”

Montrose is home to the fifth oldest course in the world where play was first recorded in 1562. Last year, the 450th Committee masterminded a series of events to mark this historic date including a re-enactment of the first locally recorded golf shot and a weekend of matches in which 450 golfers were invited to play - in the end, 522 took part.

Montrose’s blockbusting programme also included a junior open, a special exhibition in a local museum and the extension of the 11th hole to 450 yards. It was a year-long pageant of fun, but with all that going on, you might expect the coffers to reeling. Not so, says Crow who praises the input of local sponsors. “We got sponsorship from Glaxosmithkline, the local Rotary Club, the Round Table and individual businesses that wanted to make a contribution to our celebrations. Because of our generous sponsors [GSK contributed £4,000], the net costs to Montrose Golf Links Limited was £700 for the whole year.”


The complete article can be found at http://www.golfmanagementnews.com/gme/current-issue.html

Jeff Mingay: On Golf Architecture: Ever hear of High Pointe?

Jeff Mingay: On Golf Architecture: Ever hear of High Pointe?: High Pointe, from Doak's infamous book 'The Confidental Guide to Golf Courses' (1996). The educated taste admires simplicity of design ...

Streamsong interviews

As a journalist, I interview lots of people. Some can be wary or shy, while others feel uncomfortable talking about themselves. It's my job to get the best out of them, which hopefully I do.

Yesterday and today I interviewed Ben Crenshaw and his business partner Bill Coore at the official launch of the new 36-hole Streamsong resort in Florida. Both were generous with their time and gave me some revealing insights into the way they approach their jobs and their views on golf course architecture. Despite the legion of media vying for a few words, both were kind and respectful, and even posed for a few portraits.

The courses at Streamsong are phenomenal. After playing Streamsong Red (a wonderful layout by Tom Doak, who I will interview next week), I immediately went back out on the course and was lucky enough to take some photos that will hopefully capture the beauty of the place.

The pics will be processed when I get back to Scotland - stay tuned!